Namesake
by aerie-art
Summary: Many fail to remember that there was another Persephone of Ancient Greece. A girl abducted; a girl forgotten; a girl lost; and finally a girl found. Only she was found too late for this period of history. Only rebirth will atone for the sins of the past, and will allow her to be with her lover once again. Fem!Percy; ApolloxPercy. Past to Present.
1. Chapter 1

**A little ApolloXFem!Percy simply because there isn't a whole lot of it out there.  
**

**The Forgotten Myth told. **

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Many know of the Greek myth of Persephone, beloved daughter of the Olympian Demeter, and her subsequent abduction at the hands of her uncle, who would later force the girl into becoming his eternal bride and keeping her captive for four months of the year. It was a common myth known far and wide; those who felt pity for the goddess and those who did not alike. For there were a few who felt no pity for the girl; her father, Zeus, was one of those people. After all, it was Zeus that firstly promised his illegitimate daughter as a bride to Hades. Then there were those who blamed Persephone's foolishness on eating the four pomegranate seeds; though there are many a few who would declare she did so willingly, wishing to escape the constant presence of her mother.

However very few, mortal and immortal alike, know of the abduction of another girl of the name Persephone. This Persephone was born of a mortal woman, the lover of the Sea God Poseidon, and was a half-blood who lived alongside the heroes of ancient times. Though she was born in the city state of Sparta, she was not trained in combat as her male counterparts were; however she was the most beloved daughter of Poseidon at that time. Her beauty was known far and wide, and even at a young age male suitors would come from far and wide to try to best their competitors for her hand.

To protect her daughter's chastity and honor, the mother, Salena, took her daughter to Delphi, hoping the girl could find protection with the maidens who served the oracle. This was perhaps a hindsight on Salena's fault, and for those who still remembered the story of the Daughter of Poseidon, the first downfall of Persephone of the Sea.

Salena took her daughter to Delphi and left her in the care of the maidens of the city, in hope that their divine protection would shine down upon her daughter. In order to throw her daughter's suitors off, Salena swore the maidens to secrecy upon the River Styx and told her daughter to remain at the temple before fleeing Delphi to Thebes. It was there in Thebes that Salena met Hercules, Son of Zeus and Alcmene. Salena became a close friend of Megara, the wife of Hercules, and as such became well-known to Hercules himself, though Salena did not find the man enjoyable company. When Hercules relapsed and went mad, a madness caused by Hera the Queen of the Gods, and he killed his wife Megara and children, he also killed Salena, who stood by her friend until the bitter end.

Driven by the guilt of his exploits, the murder of his wife and son and daughter, Hercules fled to the Oracle of Delphi, where he told his woes to the Oracle, including the admission of guilt of killing Salena. He was told to serve King Eurystheus, and do as the king commanded of him for atonement, which later would lead to the Twelve Labors of Hercules. However unbeknownst to all, young Persephone listened in as the Oracle, influenced by Hera, gave Hercules' his punishment. In a fit of grief and anger, Persephone fled the safety of the temple and disappeared into Delphi.

It was within the first few days of wandering the streets as a beggar, and having fallen asleep in a dirty alley, that a figure came towards her, and she greeted him. She knew the man before her was not mortal, but she could not care less, for her grief was far to great at that point. The man before her was Lord Apollo (though she was unaware of such an admission, for why would a powerful god such as he visit such a lowly creature as she?) who had watched her since before she arrived and Delphi, and had kept watch over her as she stayed at the temple of his oracle. The girl had intrigued him, and before long the Olympian had fallen for the Daughter of Poseidon.

In a fit of lust and love, the god stole Persephone away, far into his domain to remain hidden. The girl remained with her captor for a year; the maidens of Delphi knew not where she disappeared to and her mother was no longer of this world to search for her. Persephone prayed to the maiden goddess Artemis, the twin sister of her captor, daily in hopes that the goddess would hear her and offer assistance in some way; however it was no use, she was far to hidden within Apollo's domain to be heard by any other than the god himself.

At that time, Poseidon grieved for the loss of Salena, and in curiosity searched for his daughter in Delphi, and was unable to find his daughter. He sent half-bloods after her trail, his own children alongside children of others. It was a year later, after Persephone had given up hope of a return to her own realm, that Helios, the God of the Sun who had given Demeter the whereabouts of her own daughter Persephone, had told Poseidon of what had transpired in the crevices of Delphi, and that it was Apollo himself that held his daughter captive, in preparation to marry the girl as his immortal bride.

With the assistance of Artemis (who was furious over the abduction of a maiden such as Persephone of the Sea), who's domain crossed over to her brother's, Poseidon retrieved his daughter, though the effects of the abduction had been engraved deeply. The girl's passion of the sea had long since been lost, and only a year later after her rescue from Apollo's hands she would wither away and die, to take her place in the Underworld alongside her mother, Salena.

She would not be written in the ancient texts, nor take a place in the myths and legends of old. She would never be known as one of the many unfortunate lovers of Apollo or those he chased after. Persephone of the Sea would be remembered by only a handful, though they would never retell her tale, the pain still fresh in their hearts.

Poseidon would remember, for the loss of a beloved daughter.

Artemis would remember, out of anger towards her brother and guilt towards not being able to hear the woes and prayers of a maiden.

And finally Apollo would remember, out of grievance and loss of a loved one, and out of pure guilt towards the actions he had taken to procure her.

_I left that world for the next not because I hated him, _

_but in fact quite the opposite, _

_though I wish he went about "courting" me in a different manner, _

_I found myself falling for Lord Apollo, foolishness I am aware_

_I went towards the next world in hopes I would be reborn..._

_So that he would learn from his mistakes, _

_and find my new form,_

_and make me his lover once again._

_For though many may believe I hate him for abducting me, _

_like my namesake Lady Persephone, _

_I slowly found myself falling for my abductor. _

_I will love him again, fully and truly, in my next life. _

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**Salena - Sally; Persephone of the Seas - Fem!Percy. Simple as that. I definitely enjoyed tossing my own story into the actual stories of mythology. Hope you enjoyed it.**


	2. The Fragile Truth

_**Aaanndd...**_**Chapter 2 is up. **

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She was the enigma that caused him the most pain. Not even Daphne, who had captured his love long before the girl was born, caused him to become so wretched and fearful for rejection, could compare to the pain this singular girl caused. He was perhaps the most ill-fated god when it came to love, and whether or not he could blame it on the dismal Aphrodite was a debatable hatred for the goddess. Though, to be honest, the whole Daphne incident could be traced back to Eros, and really Aphrodite had nothing to do with _that _particular incident in question. Eros had no right to poison his arrows of love with lead-tipped hatred. _Sure, _Apollo insulted Eros' archery abilities but it was _understandable! _Apollo _is _the most awesome of all archers! And so Apollo told Eros that, and Eros took revenge by poisoning Daphne's love for him.

Even the loss of Hyacinth was not as heart-wrenching as the loss of her. The Spartan prince who had claimed the affection of two gods, the _better _of the two, the Olympian Phoebus Apollo and a wind god, Zephyr. It was jealousy that caused the death of beautiful, precious Hyacinth.

The great Apollo had lost a precious lover to jealousy, and another to revenge. However this loss confused him. None of the other godly beings he knew _felt _anything towards the girl. And although he was a spiteful youth, at that time he was peaceful and agreeable. His own sister took the side of the maiden rather than standing by her brother. Poseidon took to the girl's defense; he was her father after all. Not only had he lost a lover (and he still wasn't sure _why _he had lost her so _easily _when he had almost succeeded where he always failed) but he also lost an uncle he was actually amiable with; it would be several centuries later for the pain to dull that Apollo could be within the eyesight of Poseidon again. He also lost the compassion and trust of his sister, Artemis. She had been repulsed with the actions of her brother, and as the Patron of Maidens, it was in her _duty _and _obligation _to protect young maidens from the fate her _own brother _had thrust the girl into.

He even told his sister, time and time and _time, _again that he didn't force himself onto the girl. He had always been a spiteful youth, pillaging as time wore on in his immortal form as an Olympian. However he did not force the girl into anything. Certainly, and he would never deny it, he did take the girl into his domain without her consent, however she did not once ask to leave the domain. She had nothing left in the mortal world; the "hero" Hercules had murdered her own mother, and she had no mortal companions, having lived a sheltered lifestyle. Even though she had no choice in coming into the domain, she had every chance to _leave _it, yet she never did. He didn't keep her locked up in chains and shackles. He allowed her to roam freely, keeping the Nine Muses as companions.

When she first arrived in his domain, she had been closed off and nearly catatonic. However with the assistance of his Muses, Apollo had opened the girl's vacant heart. She slowly but surely opened up and allowed him in. She was once again becoming the girl he had fallen for. She _chose _not to leave his side; she was the one who opted to remain by Apollo's side, for he was the one who saved her from herself, and when he was no longer there to keep the darkness away with his ever-constant light, she fell back into the shadows that had claimed her mother. It wasn't hatred towards Apollo that caused her death, or trauma over the experience, but rather the loss of her beloved.

She had been one of the few to respond to his feelings, and in doing so, had caused a fire to ignite within him. He was careful with her; passionate yes but he would never force himself on her or harm her. No, she was the enigma which allowed him to be a peaceful lover for a change; the virulent Olympian had finally found someone to remain by his side, to keep him grounded and in peace with himself. However he had lost her, alongside his twin sister. The loss of Persephone of the Seas was far greater than any lost lover before her; for he had truly loved the girl and was not infatuated with the lustful thoughts of a lover.

He had taken her from Delphi, away from her guardians who incidentally served the oracle who _he _controlled; he had stolen her away from the pain and agony of a world where her mother did not exist; he stole her from her own father, who she had only met once before yet was considered his favorite daughter; he had stolen a potential Huntress from his sister; but he had gained a love so profound and _natural _that Aphrodite had endorsed and applauded from the distance, taking the chance that the two lovers would work out and live happily.

Persephone is his lover, for now and for eternity. Though many may believe the falsities, based on is youthful experiences which _none _(including himself) were proud of, he knew the truth. He had never once harmed the girl, he only whispered sweet nothings into her turned ear. He allowed her to fall for him, as he fell for her. A love that came naturally and was lost too soon.

_I lost my love far to soon, _

_the beautiful Persephone,_

_who I had loved and lost with such ease that it felt too destined to be true._

_The girl who had won my heart, with beauty and personality, _

so_ that I, Phoebus Apollo, hoped to wed the girl,_

_so that she would remain by my side for eternity. _

_Hopefully, in her next life, I will remain her ever-constant light,_

_so that I can guide her out of the shadows of the past,_

_and towards our shared love once again. _

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**Yes; the story told with the assistance of Apollo. Hope you enjoyed it. **


	3. The Unknown Truth

**Percy's side of the story told.**

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She never had a peaceful childhood. Certainly, monstrous creatures did come near her home, however she lived in Sparta, a daughter of a military nation. There were always soldiers nearby, and the creatures were easily defeated by those who were lucky enough to wield Celestial Bronze weaponry, which in that period of time, many of the soldiers, both half-bloods and not, were able to. She never had to lift a finger to defeat the creatures, with a warning signal (often a surprised shriek, not a scream, a _shriek_) a Spartan warrior would come running, defeat the monster, and take the glory as the _savior _of the most beautiful of Spartan girls.

She absolutely _abhorred _that. She _wanted _to fight; she wanted to defeat those monsters and protect her and her mother _by herself. _She was lucky enough to be born a Spartan, and not an Athenian. At least she was able to own property to manage estates (as her mother managed their own after her stepfather had died). However she didn't care about such uselessness as property. She wished to be a _hero, _and not a _damsel. _All she wanted of this world was to wield a sword and defeat monsters, protecting the weak and proving herself to her male counterparts, the half-blooded sons of Poseidon.

But women, even Spartan women, were not taught military programs. They were there to be the backbone of Sparta, not the providing front-lines who marched to war. She hated the feeling of uselessness that came with being a Spartan girl; to be awarded freedom like no other, yet not being able to do what she truly wanted to.

So she sufficed for hiding in dark corners and watching her fellow half-bloods and Spartan citizens train, hoping that someday in the future, she would be alongside them, a proud Spartan woman fighting off the enemy, and protecting those who could not protect themselves.

But as she grew older and wiser (though what sort of child of Poseidon is _wise?_) she found herself in need of protection. The males she had admired from afar for their sword forms and battle techniques soon became the men she ran from. As she neared the age in which puberty strikes, male suitors began to appear by the dozens, each bringing tidings for the home and ornaments for her herself. Her mother was forced to politely decline every admission of love. However soon those admissions and quests for her hand became threats and abuse. In fear for her daughter's life, Salena of Sparta prayed to her once-upon lover, Lord Poseidon, and asked for protection; and as she prayed, she also gave a sacrifice to Lord Hermes, in hopes for safe and quiet travel from Sparta.

She knew the safest place for her daughter would be with Lady Artemis' Hunt, however Salena didn't want to make her daughter's decision over maidenhood for her. So in turn, Salena traveled with her daughter to Delphi, in hope that the maidens who served the Oracle would keep her daughter in safe keeping until Persephone was of proper age to make the decision for herself. Whether the girl wished to marry a man of non-Spartan lineage and become a member of his _oikos; _or marry a Spartan and manage his estates as he warred; or even swear loyalty and fealty to a temple and serve them; or, in Salena's hopes, become a Huntress, a servant of the Olympian Lady Artemis. Salena honestly hoped for the later, Artemis being a popular goddess of Sparta, she hoped that her Spartan daughter would appeal to the goddess.

So Persephone and Salena traveled to Delphi safely with the secret assistance of Lord Hermes and Poseidon, and once they arrived Salena took Persephone to the temple, and asked for safety for her daughter, and the maidens there swore upon the Styx to keep Persephone safe and hidden as long as she remained on the temple grounds. With her mind at ease, Persephone's mother left the girl at the temple to travel to Thebes, in hope that the suitors would chase after her own trail, believing Persephone was with her. And Salena's plan worked out in the end, however it did not end well for the lover of Poseidon.

Persephone stayed alongside the maidens, and found peace in the temple. The women there taught themselves self-defense, in hopes that their hidden strength would keep them chaste and pure against any brutes when the traveled outside of Delphi. Though it was not the battle-readiness Persephone hoped for, it was the best education she could receive, and she took it in stride.

And then one day, when Persephone dared to sneak in to view the Oracle's sessions as she had the Spartan soldiers, she received dreadful news. Hercules, a hero to many but those few who knew the truth of his ways, had killed her mother alongside his wife, Princess Megara and their children. She listened as the punishment was given to the man, in shocked silence. After Hercules had left the Oracle's chambers, she remained there; and she remained hidden in the chambers in silence until even the Oracle had regained possession of her body and left. When she had regained a conscious state, and her grief set in, Persephone fled the temple into Delphi.

She wandered the streets of Delphi in an aimless state, unaware of what was happening to her, and seemingly not caring. As she settled into an alley, to rest her weary legs, a figure so _blindingly _bright appeared before her. It was as if the shadowed grief that surrounded her was shying away from the light emitting from the figure before her.

He stretched out a hand, looking down at her with kind eyes, and Persephone momentarily forgot her grief, and took his outstretched hand. As he hugged her close to his body, she found herself feeling weightless, and finally the light became so bright, that she lost her senses, and she fell unconscious from the brightness.

She would awaken days later, the man sleeping next to her, and that day would mark the first of their many encounters throughout her lifetimes. However for this lifetime, it would mark the day her shadows would begin to disperse, fleeing from the love-filled light he gave her so willingly. Her grief and her loss would slowly abandon her, the love he gave her overtaking the heavy emotions. That day would mark the beginning of their millennium affair.

She would eventually become so dependent on his breathtaking light, that when it was taken away from her, she would slowly wither away, and leave this world for the next, in hope that her next life would be carved by a path of light, leading up to him with his arms wide open.

_A love misunderstood by those who matter most,_

_the story twisted by the lies told by unfriendly mouths;_

_A girl abducted: a new beginning for one so lost and alone;_

_A girl forgotten; slowly losing the pain and grief and forgetting the pain of the past;_

_A girl lost; falling out of the comfort of the shadows and into a bright embrace, lost in her new world;_

_A girl found; finding the truth in the mirror and locating the inner self._

_The light, taken away by those with kind intentions, in the end would cause my world to dim once again._

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**Yes, because Stockholm Syndrome is applicable to even the strongest of demigods. Hope you enjoyed it!  
**


	4. True Love Bests All

**Aphrodite's side of the story.**

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There was nothing she loved more than something so rare, so profound, and so _pure _as natural love. The kind of love that only comes once a century; the kind that sneaks up on the pair, and ensnares them in its web of red strings; the kind that enraptures not only the body, but the mind and soul as well. Natural love, the one that is cultivated when both parties are willing and able to accept it, which very few can. True love, if you will, the only lover you could ever feel such an emotion for. For a god, this true love was foolhardy, something acknowledged but not actually requited. Particularly towards those gods who were quite well known for their flamboyant relationships.

No matter who detested or attacked the relationship, even if it was the King of Gods himself, Aphrodite would always stand by true love, the kind of love she did not create, but instead allowed the seed to be planted naturally, and to fester and grow until it was completely bloomed. Aphrodite knew of all love in this world, so it was to no surprise that she was quite well aware of the feelings Apollo held for young Persephone of the Seas. She would smile down on the girl, and watch Apollo guard over the girl, from a distance, yet she would never interfere. Even as the Goddess of Love, she could never interfere in something so precious as this moment in time, this singular relationship.

She watched with elation as Apollo made his move, and even when he "abducted" the girl (she did come willingly, did she not? She took his offered hand, after all.) she only felt pride for him, lacking the disgust so evident on Artemis' countenance or the pure hatred and betrayal on Poseidon's. When it came down to the Council planning out Apollo's punishment towards stealing the girl away, Aphrodite was the final tide-turner vote on the punishment, and she defended him gracefully, turning the vote in Apollo's favor when it was Ares' and Hephaestus' turn to vote, the two rivals-in-love siding with their lover.

Demeter, of course, was vehemently opposed towards allowing Apollo to go unpunished. The loss of her own daughter was still fresh in her mind, and so she voted on punishing Apollo for his actions. Alongside Demeter stood Poseidon and Artemis, the two naturally siding against Apollo for the loss of a maiden/daughter. Dionysus, too drunk to properly understand the debate, also sided with the trio.

Surprisingly, it was Hera who first voted to allow Apollo to go free. She stated it was suitable for a man such as he to wish to get married, though she disagreed with the "courting" methods, she was happy he was looking to "settle down." Zeus, with a glare from both Demeter and Hera, sided with his wife. He would seem hypocritical if he voted to punish Apollo, especially after the incident with Persephone and Hades. Hephaestus, Aphrodite, Ares, and Hermes, all chose to side with Apollo.

The last to vote was Athena, who chose to side along with Poseidon, Artemis, Dionysus, and Demeter.

With a vote of six to five, Apollo went unpunished. However, although he was unpunished by the Council, he still punished himself. He regretted taking the girl into his domain, though she was allowed to leave as she pleased, he still wished he had actually courted, or at least wooed, her. A year of knowing his lover was a void had pained him greatly, and hid domain showed his emotion. The light of the world dimmed, and was hardly bright at all, enough to the point where a Council meeting was called to discuss the god's depression. After Persephone had passed into the Underworld, the depression grew more so, and what little light was left in the world was dimmed. Plagues ravished the lands, and the healing of the catastrophic illnesses were halted. It fell upon Aphrodite to fix him up with a slew of lovers to heal him from the pain he had caused himself. And although years went by and Apollo slowly but surely became his old self, the light was never as bright as it once was.

Aphrodite would spend centuries thinking over the traumatic love of the Daughter of Poseidon and God of Light. She would go over the tragedy again and again, only momentarily forgetting the past when new lamentable and woeful love stories were hatched upon the world. Helen of Troy was a grand distraction towards her thoughts over the lost love of Apollo. Though Helen's tragic love story ended, and Aphrodite went back to thinking of that rare instance of true, natural love.

Aphrodite could only hope that one day, hopefully someday _soon, _Persephone would chose to leave the Underworld, and join the living once gain after taking a bath in the River Lethe and being reborn into the world. She could only hope that if not Apollo, the she herself, would be able to find the reborn girl, and allow the two lovers to find peace once again. Her own regret, after all, is not assisting the two on their love trials, and helping them (with peaceful hands guiding, but not controlling, them) towards one another in a more natural, preferred way. Though Aphrodite held no qualms towards Apollo's attempt at wooing, many others did, and those were the ones able to steal the shadowed girl away from her light.

She could only hope that the girl would opt for rebirth, so that true love could find its way with the red strings of fate towards one another again. True love, it is so much stronger than artificial or forced love, and she could only hope Apollo, who had experienced such ill luck towards love (with or without her help), could find his way back to Persephone once again, so that he could experience true love that so few can.

_True love, natural love, hopeful love, lost love..._

_Whether guided with hands of ill intent or succor, _

_Whether tied together by red strings,_

_Or found by one another, _

_Either way, true love is one that triumphs over all. _

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**The temptress had to hold herself back from temptation, but she won't do it twice. You better beware, Apollo and Percy. Hope you enjoyed it!  
**


End file.
